AN INTERVIEW WITH MR. WINFRIED SCHWEHN AND MR. STANISLAV AVSEC ABOUT THE COMPETENCE ASSESSMENT SYSTEM
Here are some highlights from an interview conducted with Mr. Stanislav Avsec, university lecturer at the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia, and Mr. Winfried Schwehn, Assistant Professor at several universities with over thirteen years experience as an HR.
What is your general feeling for this project after the three days that you have spent with our team?
Mr. Winfried Schwehn: The feeling is very good, it is great. I have never seen such a complex and big project so far but the idea behind it is very good and I think that it would be very useful for the economy of Bulgaria eventually. However, as I already said during the discussion, the project should be modularized so that it can be more useful to the companies and it should be broken down into separate modules.
Mr. Stanislav Avsec: My feelings about this project are very similar to Winfried's. I find the project design very good. I am very happy that the project designers used very strong economic theories and economic reports about the Bulgarian economy background which helped them find where the real problematic factors for doing business lie. This makes me positive that after project expires it will be very helpful to Bulgarian national economy. What is more, I also noted that the tools used in the e-way, because this is my discipline after all, are very well designed but they need some changes to get more operability. For example, to be more compatible to the system which would be developed afterwards. I am very, very happy indeed for doing this and I really see a future for this project. It will be very helpful for the entire Bulgarian economy.
What do you think the impact of the project would be on the economic development of the country and what is the role of BIA in developing and presenting these new for Bulgaria services for the business?
Mr. Winfried Schwehn: I think it is very important and by doing this, BIA shows that it has an appeal for the needs in the future and it will do something to bring this forward. When this idea is fulfilled it will be of great help to all companies especially to those which could not do it themselves, for usually big companies have similar structures, while smaller ones do not. I think that by helping these companies the project will ultimately contribute to the development of the national economy. It is BIA's responsibility and that of other organizations like BIA, to do this on a larger scale but by doing it in big surroundings it should also consider the parts, the smaller parts.
Mr. Stanislav Avsec: Yes, when we are talking about that I can see how important BIA's role is but I can also see another factor. BIA has to be a very good knowledge transmitter and mediator from the scientific side, from university to the industry. It should be a good mediator, for this role is a very important one - how to transfer knowledge from universities to business. Another important task for BIA is to set up a training and education center here, but not only this. BIA has also to organize the logical changes in a contemporary way, for example organizing a logical network, a logical center, centers of competence etc. All this is very important. For this matter, I can see that this role of BIA could be updated. The knowledge transfer is very important, particularly the contemporary way in which knowledge is implemented in industry, as well as the centers for logical changes, centers for competences. However, it is important not only to transfer but also to apply this knowledge to real industrial situations.
In what way will this competence assessment system which we are developing within the project be useful to HR specialists and SMEs?
Mr. Winfried Schwehn: I think there could be a way, everything about this project and the competence assessment system should be discussed when it is modeled for the companies. Maybe it could be done a little bit smaller. Once discussed together with companies and HR managers, I think it will be easier to bring it to companies because when you involve them, they will look forward to the system, they will be happy to get it. I believe this system is so good that everybody in the company will be happy to have it. Last but not least, it would help improve HRM in many companies.
Mr. Stanislav Avsec: Yes, this system which is being developed here will be very helpful to the SMEs. Why? Because normally small and medium-sized enterprises do not have such a system, not even a data base, not even data repository. There will be also a training way, an education way here, an assessment way; this system shall point where the new cases are, where the new positions are, which new competence profiles have to be developed, as well as the small and medium-sized enterprises. I can see here a lot of advantages and this system will be very, very helpful, especially to SMEs because normally they cannot afford to establish such a huge and complex system on their own.
